Flying Over The Okavango Delta, Botswana

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is home to one of the last areas of Africa with wildlife living undisturbed from the influence of mankind. It is also one of those magical places you do not realize exists until you are flying over it at 110 mph, meanwhile regretting you had not budgeted more days for exploration.

Safaris and fly-in camps can be arranged from town offering a host of activities on the accessible islands from game drives to traditional Mokoro canoe rides through the flood plains.

With limited time at the epicenter of swampland activity I boarded a flight in Maun for a quick tour of just a fraction of the delta and was blown away by the numbers of wildlife living just a few minutes from town.

Hundreds of wildebeests grazing, pockets of elephant herds hippos spotted in the rivers and crocodiles so large they could be viewed from the plane! While these sightings were worth the cost of the flight alone there is still so much more that could not be seen.

Your chance to view Africa’s Big 5 can all be accomplished in the delta, as there is a relocation program for rhinos, a healthy population of lions, leopards, water buffalo and the largest population of elephants in the world found here. If you can opt for a fly-in camp and spend a few nights in the delta listening to the lions roar through the night.

Okavango Elephants

Okavango Tours

Okavango Delta Safaris

Flights Maun Botswana

Okavango Delta Flood

Travel advice for those heading to Maun, Botswana.

Don’t forget your passport when you go to the airport for your flight, if you don’t have it you will be turned away even though you have no intention of leaving the country.

If you are a solo traveller call around to the airlines early as it is often hard to be filled on a charter plane with an empty seat. I waited several hours and luckily was filled in the afternoon.

Sign up for a Mokoro ride and ask for references on who has seen what wildlife recently. The Mokoro is a hollowed out tree used as a canoe, the African version of Venice’s gondola rides.

Have you been to Botswana and experienced the Okavango Delta? Want to go and see the flood plains? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

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About Me

Tyler, a.k.a "Honcho" is a travel blogger, adventurer seeker, and in general a maker of poor decisions.

My daily mantra is "The only thing holding you back in life is fear and common sense..." and it is my inspiration to encourage you to get out and explore the world, take chances, and venture outside the norm.